I am so excited to share with you the illustrations I created for my most recent client project! I worked with an amazing web design studio, Punctum Design, and the VA on this project. Although I was hired as a UX designer - and I did a lot of UX-ing, I also got to do a ton of illustrating - which is pretty new for me. Illustration was not originally part of the scope of the project but turned out to be the best solution to adding visual enhancement to the website. The project for sure pushed me out of my comfort zone but I am so glad that it did.

Wait what is this project about?

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Let’s back up a little. Our clients were a part of a mental health organization focused on improving treatment methods for PTSD in veteran populations. We were tasked with redesigning their PTSD training website for non-VA therapists. The training modules were pretty text heavy - naturally - and Katie, the creative director, and I, had to figure out the best way to break up the text as well as visually show information. Charts and graphs only went so far for this project, we also realized that stock photos would not cut it and doing our own photoshoot was out of the budget and would not satisfy all of our needs.

We started to play around with the idea of illustrations. Neither of us are super realistic illustrators, which turned out to be a blessing in disguise. What we figured out was that if we created less-human-like characters, we would avoid the issue of needing to represent every type of person. We wanted to create illustrations that were friendly, helpful, had emotions, but gender, race, and age neutral. We also realized we needed to make the illustrations simple so that we could quickly create a variety of illustrations just by tweaking a few components.

early character sketches from my sketchbook

iPad pro to the rescue

I first started with some sketches - and it just happened that I got my birthday present, an iPad pro and an apple pen the day I started working on the first illustrations. Nothing like a project to learn a new tool fast! Thanks to Adobe Creative Suite - I started using Adobe Draw on my iPad and could upload my sketches to illustrator seamlessly.

core-exchange.org all rights reserved

core-exchange.org all rights reserved

core-exchange.org all rights reserved

The client loved the sample drawings and we just kept creating. My drawing process was to come up with as many ideas as possible based on the information presented in the text. I would sketch on my iPad, bring the designs into AI, do a little cleaning and then add to our “base” illustration characters. Katie and I worked closely and she was great a pushing my ideas and skills, creating ideas and tweaking. It was a solid team effort to produce the best possible designs. In total, the website has over 90 illustrations!

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Never throw away your sketches

Early on in the design process Katie suggested I try drawing full body illustration. I worked through it and created some sketches, but we decided to stick with our body-less characters - mostly for space constraints, and simplicity. On the last training module we wanted to illustrate a long case study. We wanted the illustrations to look more human like - I went back to those more human like sketches from months before and they worked perfectly. It was so funny how I originally thought those drawings were a waste of time - but in the end they saved us a ton of time and ensured we met our deadline. Lesson learned - keep all your sketches.

early character sketches from my sketchbook

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core-exchange.org all rights reserved

Vector is key

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For the case study illustrations we worked closely with the client to pick appropriate skin tones and genders for the illustrations. Adobe Illustrator allowed us to tweak, change and make many samples for the client. We wanted to be extremely cognizant and represent as many people as possible. We also know we are not perfect, and if the client does give feedback, we can easily change colors and drawings as needed. Not so easy if we did a photoshoot.

I was so honored to be part of this amazing project and work on something that I hope will benefit many in the near future.

I was beyond honored and thrilled when Uppercase Magazine accepted my submission and posted about my trip to Spain last Oct. Over a year later, I often reflect back on the trip- not for how it changed the course of my career or the beauty of the Alhambra but how the people I met expanded my world view. For one of the first times in my life I was a minority - being a white, christian, non-headscarf wearing woman, in a group of mostly muslim women. We all became fast friends - and plainly put - I learned more in those 5 days - then any podcast, article, class, book combined. As horrible and hateful things continue to be said and done around the world - I am just a quick What's App message away from making sure we are all OK and that we are on track for our next art class adventure.

For Courtney Beyer, a trip overseas led to a whole new career path

Here's an inspiring story from an UPPERCASE reader. It would have been a good fit to the content of the summer issue #34's Explore issue, but I had already finished that issue when I heard from Courtney. She writes, "I went to Granada, Spain for an Islamic Art workshop that I signed up for on a whim. It changed my life and now I am a pattern designer."

Details of plaster carving in the Alhambra, Granada Spain

"Last September traveled to southern Spain and Morocco to celebrate my 30th birthday and take in as much Islamic pattern tile as possible. At the time I was a web designer in Silicon Valley and feeling like I was going to more meetings then designing. Before the trip I came across a workshop in Granada, Spain called the Art of Islamic Pattern, a 5-day workshop to learn to draw Islamic patterns and visit the Alhambra." The dates of the workshop lined up with her itinerary and she signed up. "I am usually not this spontaneous," she admits.

The Alhambra at Sunset

But this leap of faith turned out to be life-changing. "I reconnected and re-valued the craft of drawing and pattern making," she says. "I also connected with other artist on the trip who were mostly Arab in background either from England or the Middle East. I learned so much from them, about history—and about how much is actually not taught in school."

Carving Islamic patterns into leather

carved plaster and tiles details from the Alhabmra

Tile details from the Alhambra

My sketch of the motif pictured above

"The trip set me on a path to quitting my job." Inspired to start creating with her hands again, she decided to specialize in block prints and surface pattern designs through her company Courtney Beyer Design that she founded in January of this year. "I sell hand-printed cards, journals and tea towels on my Etsy shop and I am working on a pattern line."

Courtney says that one of her instructors taught the class a prayer that she now recites to herself before taking on a creative assignment or project:

This is me at 14, leaping into a cool pool on a warm summer day. Wish this is always how I feel, but it's always the goal!

It’s been almost 6 months since I took a crazy leap, quitting my tech job as a product designer and becoming a surface pattern designer and artist. We have all read stories about people taking a leap and how they came out the other side. This is a Q&A I did with a friend who wanted to know what it like to take the leap - but still struggling to fly (ok maybe still just falling). This is a little insight into what I have been up to the last 6 months starting Courtney Beyer Design.

Tell me about yourself in 5 sentences or less!

My name is Courtney Beyer and I am 30 years old, I grew up in the bay area and currently live in Menlo Park with my husband. I am in the middle of switching careers from a product designer to surface pattern designer and artist. I graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in Anthropology and was captain of the varsity swim team. And I love ending the week (ok maybe a few days a week) with a glass of wine.

After a birthday trip to Spain and Morocco, I was inspired to start creating with my hands again and a few months later in January of 2017 Courtney Beyer Design was born. I specialize in block prints and surface pattern designs. I sell hand printed cards, journals and tea towels on my etsy shop, I am working on a pattern line (you can see my progress on IG @csbeyer), and I teach corporate and private block printing classes. Interested in a class? Let me know - we’ll chat.

What does it feel like to be in the midst of risk taking and dream chasing?

Crazy, scary, and very uncomfortable. There is a constant mental battle between doubts and aspirations. I created a toolkit (see below) to help combat all of my inner doubts and fears that are constantly trying to drag me down and hold me back. I know that the only way I am going to feel more comfortable being uncomfortable is to continue to take risks and put myself out there.

On the other side, I have felt so excited and alive these past few months and I am realizing that anything is possible. By nature, I move fast and love getting stuff done. For the first time I can work as fast as I want without waiting for approval or convincing by boss that something is a good idea. I can just do it and if it does not work I am on to the next thing. I feel like I am creating something that is truly authentic and I deeply care about. If someone told me I had 6 months to live I would continue doing what I am doing today, (maybe add in a trip to Greece) but I think that proves to me that I am on the right track and I am doing something worthwhile. I know I have a long road ahead but I am loving the journey.

How are you financially making it?

I am not right now - like any start up I have my own personal runway with quarterly goals - I am working like mad to start generating revenue before the investment is gone. I have diverse revenue streams, as well as a bridge job at Paper Source to help fund my projects. I know it is not going to be easy but what the past few months have shown me is that there are so many opportunities out there but you have to be willing to reach out for them (which is always the hardest part).

What are your best strategies for faking it 'til you make it?

Do things before you are ready. Body Zone Swim is using one of my patterns for their newly launched swimwear line. When I had reached out to the company a few months ago, I did not even know how to make a digital pattern. I had been doing a lot of drawings that looked like patterns but none of them were digital repeats. They liked my drawings and and said yes - which then forced me to figure out how to make a digital pattern. The old Courtney would have NEVER done this. I would have felt like I needed to go to a class, and create many patterns and get lots of feedback from experts before I was “worthy” of submitting a pattern to a company.

Body Zone Suit with my pattern (left) original digital design (right)

Keeping a lot of balls in the air. An important mental strategy for me is to have a lot of things going on at once so I am never worried about or waiting on one item. When sales on my etsy shop are slow - that’s ok because I am working on my pattern line or scheduling a block printing workshop. I want things to happen a lot faster then they do so if I can be working on another project then I can be patient. I am very much in the stage of creating as much work as possible as I craft my style and point of view.

What is the most important skill you've learned these past 6 months as a founder?

Being humble and vulnerable (oops that’s 2). Telling my family and friends that I was not going to be working at tech company anymore and making $X but going to do art and make $0 was really hard. I thought (I still do - as I tell more people) that I was/am being judged for making a “irresponsible” decision. I have been “doing the right thing” my whole life and stepping out of that mold seemed SO wrong. Living in Silicon Valley there is a lot of pressure to be a certain kind of success and make a lot of money a certain kind of way. I am going against those “shoulds” and doing something that at face value financially does not make sense. As I have told more people - now you- the opposite has happened and people have been so supportive. Being vulnerable and sharing my vision with friends and family has allowed me to ask for help; critical to getting my business up and going.

Sample of some of my patterns

What is your AM ritual?

My AM ritual is very much in flux -except making the bed, which I do everyday. I am trying to meditate everyday -(but just 6 minutes that is about all I can handle). I do have a very steady evening ritual. I brush my teeth etc. Once in bed I journal - my journal also has a blank schedule for each day. I review what I had wanted to get done for that day, and if I accomplished my top 3 goals. Then I do a little journaling and write down my schedule for the next day. Reflecting at the end of the day and going to bed with a game plan for the next day calms my mind and puts the planner in me at peace(ish). I guess my new ‘stand up’ is a ‘lay down’?

What was the toolkit you mentioned?

I created a “toolkit” for myself for when I am freaking out - which happens a lot. The google doc literally is called “when I am freaking out”. In the doc I have a list of links that I read/or watch that helps me reset, refocus and gives me a little creative confidence boost to get me going again. Here is the current list:

Thank you so much for taking the time to read my Q&A about my journey so far. Please feel free to get in touch if you have any questions or are thinking about starting your venture. Like I mentioned I am always excited to collaborate with companies and do team building workshops!